There is a Buddhist saying that goes, “My mind is a clear mirror, I must keep it free of dust.” That line was taken a step further with the words, “I have no mind, where can the dust gather?” That latter line is a very high, esoteric Buddhist teaching. It is not appropriate for me at this stage of my development. I have a mind. And I have lately been watching it. I’m discovering the value of keeping the mirror of my mind clear.

It’s easy to allow petty grievances and resentments to fill our mind. We can dwell on bad experiences, arguments in the past we are carrying on in the present, reasons to think ill of our neighbor, even think ill of our friends and intimates. But lately, I’ve been trying to interrupt these movements of the mind. I am realizing that my mind is a clear mirror that must be kept free of dust. It is just as easy to fill the mind with pleasant thoughts, with happy truths, with friendly ideas.

The present is all we have. I am realizing that I want to live in a pleasant present, not one filled with uncomfortable thoughts. I think of that Yes lyric, “There’ll be no mutant enemy we shall certify.” Do I have enemies? Not in my living room. Not when my partner and I are out on a date. Why rehearse past grievances or past enmities in the present? There are those words, “Be as prudent as serpents but as gentle as doves.” While I need to protect myself against enemies, I don’t need to replay in my mind their past actions against me. In fact, the less I think about my own issues, the better I feel. When my mind and my actions are on how I can make the world around me better, or manifest goodness in my present, I find I feel better. One miserable day I had an unpleasant morning, lost some money at the casino, and was feeling bad about myself. On my way home, I stopped at a convenience store. A man there asked me for some money to buy a coffee. I never give out money, but I went into the convenience store with the man and gave the clerk the money for his coffee. The clerk thanked me, the man thanked me twice, and I felt good about losing another dollar for this man. Losing a hundred dollars at the casino just made me mad, while losing another dollar for the coffee redeemed the day. It is my choice whether I will dwell on the money I lost at the casino and get mad, or dwell on the dollar I gave the man for coffee and feel good. And so in all the other affairs of my life. Having a mind like a clear mirror free of dust isn’t a bad way to go through life. It’s a good present.